Treatment of hydrocarbon oils.



TREATMENT OF HYDROC/KRBON OILS.

R. H. BROWNLEE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY ll, I917- Patented Nov. 4, 1919.

rrnn sienna entries.

ROY H. BROWNLEE, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

TREATMENT OF HYDROCARBON OILS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Nov. 4L, 191%.

Application filed July 11, 1917. Serial No. 179,862.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROY H. BRowNLns, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Treatment of Hydrocarbon Oils, of which the following is a specification.-

This invention relates to the treatment of hydrocarbon oils, particularly to such treatment as will furnish an increased quantity of commercial gasolene from oils naturallyducts throughout the length of the system,

and particularly in portions in which the speed of the current of gas and commingled oil is checked and a definite separation effected. The object of the invention is fur.- ther to provide a process in which such separated components are permitted to flow back through portions of the system lying below the point of their separation, and any such liquid oil as may have become separated and trapped at points throughout the length of the system is from time to time positively drawn back into the lower portion of the treating system.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view illustrating apparatus' for conducting the treating process;

and Fig. 2 is a sectional detail view of a portion of the treating'system, on the line 22 Fig 1.

The treating apparatus proper, or still, comprises a furnace 1 in which are set the lower drums 2' and 3 and a plurality of upper drums 4;; and a pluralityof nests of .vertically inclined tubes or pipe sections 5 and 6 in the interior of the furnace and connecting the drums. The pipe sections 5 and 6 are directly exposed to the heat of a plurality of oil or gas burners 7 of any suitable form, while the drums 2 and 3, and the drums 4:, are so set in the furnace walls that they are protected from direct heating. The uppermost pipe sections 5 connect with a. vapor header 8 from which a pair of upwardly, inclined vapor'lines 9 lead to the preheater and clarifier 10. The oil feeding system comprises a supply tank 11 connected to the preheater 10 by means of a pipe 12 arranged to introduce the oil in the form of a stream or spray into the preheater, so that t passes downwardly over the baflies 10 therein, the oil line 12 being provided with a feed pump 13. From the lower extremity of the preheater 10 the feed line 14 leads to the receiving drum 2.

Steam is furnished to the treating system by means of a plurality of valved connections 15 leading from the steam header 16 and provided with portions 17 extending through the sludge drum 3 a considerable distance into each of the'lower pipe sections 6, which pipe sections are inclined downwardly from the receiving drum 2 to the sludge drum 3.- Each of the upper drums 4 lying directly above the receiving drum 2 may be drained thereinto by means of valved draw back connections 18, while each of the drums 4 lying directly above the sludge drum 3 may also be drained into the 1 receiving drum 2 by means of the valved draw back connections 19. The sludge drum 3 is also provided with a suitable drain pipe 20 for drawing ofl the tarry substances pro- I duced during the treatment of the oil. I

In conducting the treatment, dry steam is first run through the system and the pipe sections 5 and 6 raised to a suitable temperature. Oil is then introduced into the receiving drum 2 and flows downwardly throughthe sections 6 in which it is taken up by the. current of steam and carried through the overlying pipe sections and drums in an atomized and partially vaporized condition. During its progress through the system the heavier components of the oil, which are in an atomized or imperfectly vaporized condition, will tend to separate out as liquid oil in the drums 4 and also in the pipe sections 5*, through which latter such liquid will be refluxed back counter to the current of steam and vapors into the drums.

Also when the level of liquid oil in these drums rises above the orifices of .the lowermost 'pipe sections connecting therewith,

the branches 15*.

During the treatment in the still the chief in the drums 4 lying below the orifices of the pipe sections ther in may be run back to the receiving drum 2 by means of the valved draw backs 18 and 19 which, as shown, are so arranged that the liquid may be drawn independently from each of the drums 4:.

During the progress of the treatment the pipe sections 5 and 6 are maintained at a .e .perature which'would be in excess of that requisite to vaporize substantially all the components of the oil undergoing treatment if it were subjected to asimple distilling operation under merely atmospheric pressure. It will be understood that this temperature will necessarily vary according to the grade of oil undergoing treatment, a lower temperature being required for the treatment of distillate than is necessary in the treatment of a crude or residual petroleum oil. The pressure throughout the system is maintained at a point considerably above atmospheric, a pressure in excess of five atmospheres being preferably employed. It will be understood, moreover, that instead of dry steam some other inert gas, as for instance a hydrogen-containing or a permanent hydrocarbon gas, may be employed for carrying the atomized oil and modifying the effect of the heat thereon. A combinatlon of the two may also be employed by admitting the steam through the pipes 15, and the hydrogen-containing or hydrocarbon gas through separation of the heavier components of the oil from the current of steam and vapors will obviously occur in the drums 4, since the increased space within the drums causes a temporary slackening in the speed of the current and affords an added opportunity for the separation and deposition of the liquid 'oil.

The theory of operation of the present treatment corresponds in general to that of the process described and claimed in my copendin application, Serial No. 158,165, filed March 29, 1917, both processes embodying the idea of separating out oil in liquid form from a current of steam and oil vapors, and subjecting this separated liquid oil to a further similar treatment in the presence of a lesser concentration of the vapors from which it was separated than at the point of its separation. Since the average densit of the liquid oil in each succeeding drum wi I be lower than the average density of the oil in the drum preceding it in series, it will be seen that the reflux from the drums will cause such liquid to be subjected to revaporization in'the presence of a commingled current of steam and vapors containing a lessened concentration of vapors of a density less than that of the refluxed oil, so that an effect analogous to that of the prior process is obtained. The present process, however, provides extended receptacles for checking the speed of the current of steam vapors and atomized oil, and the separating effect is further heightened by the somewhat lower temperature of the drums 4, while the draw back lines permit any liquid which cannot flow backwardly through the pipe sections to be run again completely through the system. It will be understood that while the drums 4: are at a lower temperature than the pipe sections, the pressure is not de creased within each drum below that existing'in adjacent portions of the pipe sections connected thereto.

The treatment above described results in the conversion of a relatively high percentage of the vaporizable components of the oil treated into condensible low boiling products without an excessive formation of carbon or permanent gas. The treatment is further continuous so that the repeated treatment of the heavier components takes place during the continuous introduction of new material without the necessity of drawing off the heavier components and retreating them by a separate operation.

What I claim is 1. The process of treating hydrocarbon oils to increase the yield of low boiling point liquid products, which consists in introducing a current of gas adjacent the lower extremity of a vertically extending treating system heated and maintained under pressaid system and at intervals through areasof diminished speed whereby the heavy components of the oil are separated from the lighter and trapped; permitting a reflux of the separated components through the system counter to the current of gas therein, and from time to time drawing olf such trapped liquid into the lower portion of the treating system. 7

2. The process of treating hydrocarbon oils to increase the yield of low boiling point liquid products, which consists in introducing a current of gas adjacent the lower extremity of a vertically extending treating system heated and maintained under pres sure, introducing the oil below the upper extremity of said treating system, assing the oil and vapor thereof upwardly t rough said system and at intervals through areas of diminished speed, whereby the heavy components of the oil are separated from the lighter and trapped; and permitting a reflux of the separated components through the system counter to the current of gas therein.

8. The process of treating hydrocarbon oils to. increase the yield of low' boiling point liquid products, which consists in introducing a current of gas adjacent the lower extremity of a vertically extending treating system heated and maintained under pressure, introducing the oil below the upper extremity of said treating system, passing the oil and vapor thereof upwardly through said system, and at intervals through areas of diminished speed whereby the heavy components of the oil are separatedfrom the lighter in such areas of diminished speed and throughout the system and trapped; and fromtime to time drawing 013? such trapped liquid into the lower portion of the treating system.

4. The process of treating hydrocarbon oils to increase the yield of low boiling point liquid products, which consists in introducing a current of gas adjacent the lower extremity of a vertically extending treating system maintained under a pressure in excess of five atmospheres and throughout the greater part of its extent at a temperature in excess of that required to vaporize substantially all the vaporizable components of the oil at atmospheric pressure, introducing the oil below the upper extremity of said treating system, passing the oil and vapor thereof upwardly through said system and at intervals through areas of diminished speed whereby the heavy components of the oil are. separated from the lighter and trapped; permitting a reflux of the separated components throughout the system counter to the current of gas therein, and from time to time drawing ofi' such trapped liquid into the lower portion of the treating system. I

5. The process of treating hydrocarbon oils to increase the yield of low boiling point liquid products, which consists in introducing a current of gas adjacent the lower extremity of a vertically extending treating system maintained under a pressure in ex-- cess of five atmospheres and throughout the greater part of its extent at a temperature in excess of that required to vaporize substantially all the vaporizable components of the oil at atmospheric pressure, introducing the oil below the upper extremity of said treating system, passing the oil and Vapor thereof upwardly through said system and at intervals through areas of diminished speed, whereby the heavy components of the oil are separated from the lighter and trapped, and permitting a reflux of the separated components through the system counter to the current of as therein.

6. The process of treating hydrocarbon oils to increase the yield of low boiling point liquid products, which consists in introducing a current of gas adjacent the lower extremity of 'a' vertically extending treating system maintained under a pressure in excess of five atmospheres and throughout the greater part of its extent at a temperature in excess of that required to vaporize substantially all the vaporizable components of the oil at atmospheric pressure, introducing the oil below the upper extremity of said treating system, passing 7 the oil and'vapor thereof upwardly through said system and at intervals through areas of diminished speed, whereby the heavy components of the 'oil are separated frpm the lighter in such areas of diminished speed and throughout the system and trapped; and drawing off such trapped liquid into the lower portion of the treating system.

7. The process of treating hydrocarbon oils to increase the yield of low boiling point liquid products, which consists in introducing a current of steam adjacent the lower extremity of a vertically extending treating system heated and maintained undenpress sure, introducing the oil and a hydrocarbon gas below the upper extremity thereof, passing the oil and vapor thereof upwardly through said system and at intervals through areas of diminished speed whereby the heavy components of the oil are separated from the lighter and trapped; permitting a reflux of the separated components through the system counter to the current of steam therein, and from time to time drawing ofl such trapped liquid into the lower portion of the treating system.

8. The process of treating hydrocarbon oils to increase the yield of low boiling point liquid products, which consists in introducing a current of steam adjacent the lower extremity of a vertically extending treating system heated and maintained under pressure, introducing the oil and a hydrocarbon gas below the upper extremity thereof, passing the oil and vapor thereof upwardly through said system and at intervals 105 through areas of diminished speed whereby the heavy components of the oil are sepa-- rated from the lighter and trapped; and permitting a reflux of the separated components through the system counter to the current of steam therein.

9. The process of treating hydrocarbon oils to increase the yield of low boiling point liquid products, which consists in introducing a current of steam adjacent the lower extremity of a vertically extending treating system maintained under a pressure in excess of five atmospheres and throughout the greater part of its extentat a temperature in excess of that required to vaporize substantially all the vaporizable components ofthe oil atatmospheric pressure, introducing the-oil and a hydrocarbon gas; below the upper extremity of said treating system, passing the oil and vapor thereof upwardly through said system and at intervals through areas of diminished speed whereby the heavy components of the oil are separated from the lighter and In Witness whereof, I have hereuntoset trapged; permitti g 21,1 refiifiz (21151 the setpimfy hand.

rate components t rou e sys em I counter to the current of stfiam therein, and." i ROY BROWNLEE' from time to time drawing ofl such trapped Witnesses:

liquid into the lower portion of the treatv J. M. HOLLIDAY,

ing system. I H. F. JENKINS. 

